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Elizabeth de Montfort, Baroness Montagu

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Elizabeth Montfort
Effigy of Elizabeth Montfort in Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
DiedAugust 1354
BuriedPriory of St Frideswide, Oxford
Spouse(s)William Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu
Thomas Furnivall, Baron Furnivall
IssueJohn Montagu
William Montagu
Simon Montagu
Edward Montagu
Alice Montagu
Katherine Montagu
Mary Montagu
Elizabeth Montagu
Hawise Montagu
Maud Montagu
Isabel Montagu
FatherSir Peter Montfort
MotherMaud de la Mare

Lady Elizabeth de Montfort, Baroness Montagu (died August 1354) was an English noblewoman.

Life

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Elizabeth de Montfort was the daughter of Peter de Montfort (d. before 4 March 1287) of Beaudesert Castle in Warwickshire and his wife, Maud de la Mare.[1][2] Her grandfather was Peter de Montfort (1205–1265), the first Speaker of the House of Commons, whose wife was Alice Audley.[3]

Her marriage to William Montagu was arranged by Eleanor of Castile, the first wife of King Edward I of England. Edward was eager to make peace with the aristocracy after the battle, and things were fairly well patched up within a few years. His wife’s role in arranging the marriage was part of an elaborate system of arranged marriages designed to reinforce the power of the King and his aristocracy.[citation needed]

Both Elizabeth and her husband came from wealthy families, and they donated some of their money to various causes. Elizabeth was a major benefactor of the Priory of St Frideswide, Oxford, now Christ Church Cathedral at Oxford University. Her tomb now lies between the Latin Chapel, whose construction she funded, and the Dean’s Chapel, where she was originally buried under its magnificent painted ceiling (now faded by time).[citation needed]

She also donated a large piece of land to St. Frideswide in exchange for a chantry. This meant that two chantry priests would say daily mass in black robes bearing the Montacute and Montfort coats of arms. This continued until the Reformation. This piece of land, just south of the church is now called Christ Church Meadow. Later, the path through this was named Christ Church Walk and is now a very popular attraction in Oxford.[citation needed]

Marriages and issue

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She married firstly, about 1292, William Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu,[4] by whom she had four sons and seven daughters:[5]

She married secondly Thomas de Furnivall, 1st Baron Furnivall (d. before 18 April 1332), who was pardoned and fined £200 on 8 June 1322 for marrying her without royal licence.[29][30]

Notes

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  1. ^ Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 2nd Edition, p. 28, by Douglas Richardson. Accessed 9 January 2023.
  2. ^ Oxonia Antiqua Restaurata (2nd ed.). London. 1843. p. 8. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  3. ^ Cokayne 1936, p. 126.
  4. ^ Cokayne 1936, p. 82.
  5. ^ a b c d Gross 2004.
  6. ^ a b Cokayne 1936, p. 81.
  7. ^ a b Richardson IV 2011, p. 255.
  8. ^ Cokayne 1926, pp. 583–4.
  9. ^ Ormrod 2004.
  10. ^ Waugh 2004.
  11. ^ Richardson II 2011, pp. 631–5.
  12. ^ Cokayne 1936, pp. 82, 84.
  13. ^ a b c Richardson II 2011, p. 635.
  14. ^ Cokayne 1936, p. 85.
  15. ^ Cokayne 1916, pp. 96–7.
  16. ^ a b c d e f Wigram 1896, p. 9.
  17. ^ a b c d e f Robertson 1893, pp. 96–7.
  18. ^ Wright 1836, p. 225.
  19. ^ Katherine is not mentioned in the St Frideswide cartulary.
  20. ^ Burls, Robin J., Society, Economy and Lordship in Devon in the Age of the First Courtenay Earls, c.1297-1377, PhD thesis, University of Oxford, 2002, p. 135 Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  21. ^ a b c Sturman, Winnifred M., Barking Abbey: A Study in its External and Internal Administration from the Conquest to the Dissolution, PhD thesis, University of London, 1961, pp. 375, 382, 400-1, 404 Archived 21 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  22. ^ Copinger 1910, pp. 155–6.
  23. ^ Shaw 1906, p. 5.
  24. ^ Elwes 1876, pp. 263, 280.
  25. ^ Richardson IV 2011, p. 183.
  26. ^ Dauntsey, Sir John (d.1391), of Dauntsey, Wiltshire, History of Parliament Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  27. ^ 'Norton Bavant', A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 8: Warminster, Westbury and Whorwellsdown Hundreds (1965), pp. 47-58 Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  28. ^ 'Parishes: Fifield Bavant', A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 13: South-west Wiltshire: Chalke and Dunworth hundreds (1987), pp. 60-66 Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  29. ^ Cokayne 1926, p. 582.
  30. ^ Cokayne 1936, pp. 82, 85.

References

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